Best books for entrepreneurs in 2017

There is no shortage of really good reading material for entrepreneurs. But the one thing that entrepreneurs definitely do not have enough of is time to comb through all that material and decide which books may be useful to you and your business. We’ve done the hard work for you and have collated a list of books we think you should read in 2017. Grab a cup of coffee and feed your entrepreneurial spirit!

1. Tim Ferriss: Tools of Titans

Experienced investor and influencer Tim Ferriss is one of the most successful podcasters worldwide. The Observer even called him the “Oprah of Audio”. For his new book he collected tips and tricks for success from 200 world-class performers. He interviewed actors, politicians, athletes and scientists, who shared with him their insights into success. This easy read not only answers to questions of time management and productivity. All his tips are based on the author’s own experiences and his success. Ferriss applies his recommendations to day-to-day life and makes it easy to relate to. This book is a source of inspiration for all entrepreneurs.

Who should read it:

Anyone, who wants to learn the secrets of top performers that led them to success should not miss out on these “Tools of Titans”.

“The people who get uncommon results generally ask really uncommon questions. Tools of Titans is an inside look at how the world’s best performers, leaders, and entrepreneurs think. These types of questions force you to abandon your previous constraints and assumptions. And when you do, that’s when you can have your biggest breakthroughs.” – Tim Ferriss

2. Jenny Blake: Pivot

In this book Jenny Blake, former career development specialist at Google, business consultant and speaker, describes the art of “pivoting”. Her idea is simple: instead of trying to make big leaps whenever you want to make changes in your career or business, just do it one small change at a time. This way, you can stay in the realm of your strengths and easily move in a different direction. Blake’s technique prevents you from getting stuck and is a great choice if you are unsure about your professional options.

Who should read it:

Whether you’re planning your next career change or want to take your business in a different direction, this book will teach you how to make the right move at the right time.

“One of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face is not just getting comfortable with uncertainty, but embracing it by reducing risk through small experiments that provide data for bigger decisions. PIVOT is a method for mapping what’s next, within a specific project or your business (or life) as a whole. If change is the only constant, let’s get better at it. I wrote Pivot to help all of us, particularly entrepreneurs who are calling the shots daily, build this muscle.” – Jenny Blake

3. Phil Knight: Shoe Dog

You always assumed biographies are boring? Think again! Because the life story of Nike founder Phil Knight is gripping and inspiring at the same time. In “Shoe Dog” Knight describes the ups and downs of building one of the world’s biggest sportswear companies and provides deep insights into the reality of the business. He starts from the very beginning, describing how he sold shoes from the back of his car in the 1960s. This book is not a sugarcoated Hollywood success story and lets you witness all the doubts and failures of the man behind today’s successful brand. This is a book that promotes the most important skill entrepreneurs should have: perseverance.

Who should read it:

A book for visionaries, who are looking to be inspired by a fascinating true story.

4. George Berkowski: How to Build a Billion Dollar App

As one of the creators behind the taxi hailing app Hailo, tech entrepreneur George Berkowski knows what he is talking about. In this book he examines what it takes to make a really successful app. And he not only speaks from his own experience, but draws on examples like Instagram, Uber and Whatsapp. This is a book with very concrete and specific information, giving readers easy to follow recommendations. A great resource to navigate the mobile app market.

Who should read it:

This book is a valuable guide for any mobile entrepreneur or app developer who is looking to develop their own strategies within the app market.

“I think one of the biggest questions facing entrepreneurs is how to balance developing a great mobile product in parallel with a great business model. The time of building ‘simply great products’ without thinking of great business models is well gone. My book takes people through the journey of balancing their product or service with their business model to maximise their chance of success.” – George Berkowski

5. Brad Burton: Now What?

Ready for some thought provoking lessons for your life and business? Motivational speaker Brad Burton’s new book is all about decision making. “Now What?” talks about defining success and focussing on the important things. Burton leads you through the defining moments of his own career and shares the lessons he learned. Here he explains how you can replicate his success through your own decisions. For Burton, it all comes down to meeting the “Now what?” moments in life with the right mindset. This book really will make you feel like you scored a seat in one of Brad Burton’s usually sold out seminars.

Who should read it:

This book is the right choice for entrepreneurs looking for a boost of motivation when facing decisions in business and life.

6. Joe Pulizzi: Content Inc.

In “Content Inc.” Joe Pulizzi turns the traditional approach to marketing on its head. Why spend tons of resources creating a product without knowing whether there will be an audience for it? He argues that it would be much more logical to first capture an audience with content and then give them exactly the product they want. Entrepreneur and content marketing pioneer Pulizzi explains exactly how his revolutionary model works and how startups can utilize it for their own products or services. Get ready to overthink what you thought you knew about starting a business.

Who should read it:

Whether you are on the verge of setting up a startup or own an established business, you can benefit from this new way of thinking about what your clients want.

“Most entrepreneurs focus so much on what they want to sell, they forget about the informational needs of their customer and audience. I believe the absolute best way to start a business is to serve a very specific audience (by delivering valuable, consistent information), and then build products around the needs of that audience. Frankly, it’s a much easier, much less risky model. Content Inc., the book, is about how an entrepreneur can do that.” – Joe Pulizzi

7. Ari Meisel & Nick Sonnenberg: Idea to Execution

If you have ever wondered whether there is an easier and faster way to take care of everyday business processes this book is for you. “Idea to Execution” will show you how to take full advantage of the digital tools and apps of the 21st century to dramatically lighten your workload and save a whole lot of time. The book’s 3 step process is all about optimizing, automating and outsourcing. This is a quick read that can overhaul your perspective on what it takes to start a business. Forget what you thought you knew about venture capital and lengthy planning phases. This book exemplifies how to start a business in the digital age.

Who should read it:

For anyone wondering how to simplify and digitize their business, this book will be full of inspiration.

“The greatest challenge facing entrepreneurs today is planning for scale, meaning they do it too late or not at all. Many entrepreneurs make the false assumption that you need to build up to a point where you can start to achieve scale. This ingrains the founder in the business in a way that they become an obstacle. When you’re not planning for scale, you wear too many hats, dilute your abilities, distract yourself from doing what you’re best at, and often end up burning out. “Idea to Execution” shows in detail, the mindset we’ve used to start a company that was scalable and profitable from day one and has grown at a steady 20% per month every month since.” – Ari Meisel & Nick Sonnenberg

8. Eric Ries: The Lean Startup

Building a startup is risky. But entrepreneur and blogger Eric Ries argues your chances of making it are better if your startup is a “Lean Startup”. He bases his book on the idea of using lean processes: If you test your product as early as possible, you will end up gaining valuable feedback and can improve along the way. This enables your company to react more quickly and shift direction more easily. Ries’ rigorous approach has made huge waves in the startup world, but it’s actually really simple: continuously test your ideas and stay flexible, because an agile company has better chances of success.

Who should read it:

Want to make sure your business is flexible enough? “The Lean Startup” will teach you how to make it happen.

9. Maciej Kranz: Building the internet of things

The Internet of Things is full of potential. This book focusses on how you can leverage this potential for your business. If the whole idea of the Internet of Things still seems rather blurry and vague to you, “Building the Internet of Things” will clear it all up. Kranz helps you understand the meaning and depth of the IoT and points out the opportunities that arise from it for entrepreneurs. A great book to make sense of a complex concept and its value for businesses.

Who should read it:

If you want to learn more about the concept of the Internet of Things and are wondering how you can use it to your benefit, this book is for you.

“The biggest challenge for entrepreneurs in 2017 is to cut through all the hype about the latest technologies and instead seek only viable technology solutions to their business problems. Building the Internet of Things will guide you on that journey starting with how to walk in your customer’s shoes and ending in new profitability and efficiencies.” – Maciej Kranz

10. Tim Hughes & Matt Reynolds: Social Selling

Selling a product today has changed dramatically. Buyers and influencers wield more power and are much more aware of how you’re trying to sell them something. In “Social Selling” Hughes and Reynolds explain that sales professionals need to start focussing on building trust and authority to be successful today. This book will teach you how to build a community and develop relationships to decision makers through social networks. The modern strategy to make sales effectively and sustainably.

Who should read it:

A great pick for anyone who wants to stay on top of sales techniques in the age of social networks.

“There are many misperceptions as to the meaning of Social Selling. Many people think it means contacting people on social and immediately pitching your product. This is a bit like going on a first date and proposing marriage. In most, if not all relationships, we need to get to know each other before we get married. “Social Selling – Influencing Buyers and Changemakers” is written in a workbook style to give you the practical steps you need to stand out from the crowd and use Social Media to generate revenue.” – Tim Hughes & Matt Reynolds

11. Ed Goodman & Ann Hawkins: New business: Next steps

Every business is different. And still: all new entrepreneurs ask themselves the same questions. This practical guide answers the most important ones. Here you will find the fundamental information you need for your business in one place, complete with strategies and exercises. From marketing to finance, management and sales, Goodman and Hawkins cover the broad spectrum of burning questions and knowledge gaps you might have. Practical tips and examples make this a great handbook for newcomers to the world of business. Even more experienced entrepreneurs can learn a thing or two.

Who should read it:

If you are new to the world of startups and business, this book will be the perfect starting point to learn what you need to know.

12. Ash Maurya: Scaling Lean

Does your business have the potential to become really big? And how do you get there? These are the questions that Maurya tackles in “Scaling Lean”. Giving you specific strategies to work through and apply to your startup, this book will be your tactical guide. Cutting out all the unnecessary anecdotes, it effectively provides you with information about how to test your ideas, what to focus on and the individual steps you need to take to reach your goals.

Who should read it:

You’ve figured out your business model and are now wondering how to grow? This is the right book if you want practical tips to scale your new business.

“Thanks to methodologies like Lean Startup and tools like the Lean Canvas, more entrepreneurs are building and validating their big ideas using small and fast experiments. The problem they struggle with today is extrapolating their smaller scale learnings into a large scale business model story — something their stakeholders or investors especially care about. In Scaling Lean, I provide a blueprint for modelling startup success. You specifically learn how to: ballpark the viability of a business model, stop using current revenue as a measure of progress, set progressive goals that set you up for exponen­tial long-term success and illuminate insights using two-week LEAN sprints to quickly source, rank, and test ideas.” – Ash Maurya

Read, learn and grow your business

It’s true: it takes time to stay on top of a long reading list. But with all the valuable knowledge you will find in these books, your business will thank you for making the time. Did we miss a book you think every entrepreneur should read? Then let us know in the comments and tell us why you think it is a must read for entrepreneurs in 2017.

The author

Antonia manages 99designs' English blogs. She is based in Berlin and has an M.A. in English literature. When she's not working on awesome design topics the world needs to know about, she dabbles in abstract painting and blogs about home renovation, which from time to time requires tearing down walls and hitting things with a hammer.